What is the significance of mountain waves(in weather reports)?

Answer 1

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Answer 2

Excellent question. Here is the scientific answer to it. Mountain waves are generated when winds are strong and perpendicular to the mountain range. They occur along a stable layer in the atmosphere as well. They are made visible by lenticular clouds, which are cirrus level clouds in the shape of a convex lens in which the leading edge of the cloud is evaporating while the trailing edge of the cloud is forming so that the cloud appears still in this fast moving current. Below these clouds very dangerous "rotor clouds" , large horizontal vortices running parallel to the mountain range, are present. These clouds may or may not be highly visible. Now why are these events reported? Because there is extreme turbulence in the rotor clouds if you happen to fly into them. The good news is that they do not extend throughout the tropospere and so they can be overflown. However there may also be some moderate turbulence near the tropopause above the rotors and the lenticulars. Hope this helps clear this up for you. If not let me know.

Answer 3

If you are going to be doing any flying in, around or over mountains it's a good idea to take precautions to avoid or minimize your exposure to mountain (Lee) waves. Perhaps the greatest concern with mountain waves would be the turbulence they can cause. They also cause potentially severe icing, downdrafts and control problems for flight crews, but these are mostly localized within an associated rotor cloud (altocumulus standing lenticular) that is formed in the wave. As far as effects on the ground I'm not too sure, most likely windy.

Mountain waves in general will indicate fairly strong winds even a low jet moving perpendicular to the mountain (or hills), and fairly stable air at the ridge.

Answer 4

Mountain waves are almost stationary with respect to earth's surface.It is formed over and/or to leeward side of a hill or mountain when strong winds are obstructed by them. Such a wave sometimes has cloud in the wave crest(lee-wave clouds).In south India, during south west monsoon season(June to September), strong winds somtimes upto 40 to 45 knots blow against the mountain range called The Western Ghats producing mountain waves on the leeward side.This in turn produces turbulance and a mention is made about this in the weather report supplied to the aircrafts.